You have a new team?

So you have a new position? That can be fun and exciting, but a new team can be a little bit scary, right?

Today someone asked me for my advice on how to bond with a new team. I thought about it a little, it didn't take too much thinking because if you know me, you know I believe in building positive relationships, therefore most of my advice always goes back to that.

So here goes the personal advice that I shared:

1. Get to know your team members...one by by one. Some work places have profiles with information about each team member. If your work place does not, then you should probably create a Getting To Know You survey or fact sheet for each team member.

2. Schedule a time to meet with each team member. It doesn't have to be long or have specific parameters. It should be relaxing and have a natural flow to it. Talk about what they enjoy during their off time or maybe even what their favorite past time is.

3. Be a role model for your team. Reflect a positive, energized behavior even or should I say especially when you don't feel like it. You see, as a leader those you support and lead look up to you and depend on you to pull them through, especially during challenging times.

4. Take time out during the day to talk to your team. That seems easy enough right? Well, with all of the tasks on your plate, trust me it's not that easy (take it from me, I'm a talker). Those short unplanned conversations can add up and help you get to know each other too. Key thing to remember in communication is that LISTENING is the most important part.

Enjoy learning, it never ends! Lucky for you there's so much literature on the subject. Don't forget TEAM WORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK!